Research has found a connection between obesity and mood disorders including anxiety and depression.
Depression and obesity have been observed to be closely linked and being diagnosed with either condition increases the likelihood of developing the other.
Past research found that people with obesity had a 55 percent increased risk of developing depression. Comparatively, people with depression had a 58 percent increased risk of developing obesity.
Experts haven’t untangled fully the mechanism of why that relationship occurs, but people with people with obesity can face issues that impact their quality of life, including stigma, difficulty doing physical activities, social isolation, and disability.
If you are dealing with obesity and depression, a physician may refer you to receive mental health counseling. There are many different types of counseling that can help with depression symptoms, including:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Motivational interviewing
- Dialectical behavioral therapy
- Interpersonal psychotherapy
Medications that can affect key neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, may also be recommended for people dealing with depression. These medications include:
- SSRIs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
- SNRIs, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
- NDRIs, norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors
More research needs to be done in order to better understand why depression is a complication of obesity.
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